Hello and welcome history friends, patrons all to Poland is not yet lost, the second introduction episode.

So we've sort of set the scene for what I plan to do in this podcast and why.

We've given you a hopefully captivating first ever episode, which has piqued your interest and drawn you in a little bit and made you want to know more about what we're doing here.

We've explained that my goal in this podcast is to trace Polish history through the 18th century,

for the focus above all on diplomacy, human agency, high politics and a sneaky intrigue.

At the same time, our mission is to get to the bottom of the key question.

Did the Poles do it all to themselves, or can we lay more blame at the feet of the foreign

powers when explaining how the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth suddenly ceased to exist by 1795?

Since we seem inherently incapable of releasing singular introductory episodes these days,

you'll be happy to note that this second introduction episode here does contain some useful

information, and it is worthwhile, I believe, in setting these two episodes apart. In this

introduction episode, we'll explain our focus for this podcast in more detail.

We explain the terminology we're going to use, and we explain how we plan on traversing such

an eventful, vibrant century as the 18th, without getting distracted.

Well, distracted too much, that is.

Yes, indeed, we have a lot of explaining to do, but I'll also be providing some detail on the sources I'll be using, the overall structure of this series, and of course the schedule.

I don't want to waste any more of your time, so without any further ado, let's get into this.

Thank you. If I had to pinpoint the moment when my interest in Poland began, it would have to begin, unsurprisingly, if you know anything about me, in a shop when I was looking for food.

I think I must have been about 12 years old at the time or so, and I came across something which gave me pause for thought. It was when I reached a Polish

food section of the supermarket that 12-year-old Zach fed on a diet of World War II documentaries

from the History Channel thought to himself, how did the Allies invent Poland?

Now this obviously is a hideously stupid question, but I wanted to share it with you to show how

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